As Florida continues to recover from the devastation caused by Ian, the state has issued a warning for a rare November hurricane that's headed its way.
Subtropical Storm Nicole is expected to keep picking up strength as it gets closer to Florida, and will likely be a Category 1 hurricane by the time in arrives late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It will mark the first time a November hurricane has made landfall in the U.S. since 1985.
The forecast calls for Nicole to become a hurricane when it is near the northwest Bahamas and remain a hurricane when it reaches Florida. Meantime, tropical storm conditions are expected to begin hitting Florida and Georgia early Wednesday.
Officials have issued a Hurricane Watch for Florida's east coast, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Cape Canaveral and Melbourne, saying "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
"Do not focus on the exact track of Nicole since it is expected to be a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the center, outside of the forecast cone," the National Hurricane Center warned. "These hazards are likely to affect much of the Florida peninsula and portions of the southeast United States."
A Storm Surge Watch has also been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia -- including Orlando, the home of Walt Disney World.
Forecasters say the storm surge as much as three to five feet above ground level will be accompanied by "large and damaging waves," and that residents in the warning area should listen to advice given by local officials.
"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the National Hurricane Center said. "The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north of the landfall location."
Large swells generated by Nicole will affect the east coast of Florida and much of the southeastern U.S. coast during the next several days, and are likely to cause "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," according to the forecast.
The storm will produce heavy rainfall Wednesday and Thursday with flooding likely across the Florida Peninsula, forecasters said. Flooding will also be possible in southeast Georgia and portions of South Carolina Thursday into Thursday night.
Florida is predicted to get three to five inches of rain, with some areas seeing as much as seven inches. Southeast Georgia into portions of South Carolina are expected to get one to four inches of rain.
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